Serbia

The name Yugoslavia previously designated six republics (Serbia,
Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzogovia, Croatia, and Slovenia), but
now includes just Serbia and Montenegro. The word means "land of the
southern Slavs." Montenegro, which means "black mountain," takes its
name from its rugged terrain. Within Serbia there are several national
cultures. In addition to the dominant Serb tradition, there is a large
Hungarian population in the northern province of Vojvodina, where
Hungarian is the common language and the culture is highly influenced by
Hungary (which borders the province to the north). In southern Serbia,
the province of Kosovo is primarily Albanian, and has an Islamic culture
that bears many remnants of the earlier Turkish conquest.

Serbia is a landlocked territory in the Balkan Peninsula of Eastern
Europe, bordering Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary,
Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Albania. Montenegro is to the west of
Serbia, also bordering Bosnia and Herzogovina, Albania, and the Adriatic
Sea. Serbia covers 34,136 square miles (88,412 square kilometers);
Montenegro has an area of 5,299 square miles (13,724 square kilometers).
Together they are slightly smaller than the state of Kentucky. The
terrain varies widely. In the north there are fertile plains that
produce most of Serbia's crops, as well as marshlands along the Sava and
Danube Rivers. At the northern border, the Danube River runs along the
Iron Gate Gorge. Central Serbia is hilly and forested and is the most
densely populated region of the country. In the east, there are the
Carpathian and Rhodope Mountains, as well as the Balkan range, which
forms the border with Romania. The Dinaric Alps rise in the western
central region. Kosovo, in the south, is considered the cradle of
Serbian civilization. Its geographical formation is two basins
surrounded by mountains, including the highest peak in Yugoslavia,
Daravica, with an elevation of 8,714 feet (2,656 meters). Kosovo's rocky
soil does not produce much, with the exception of corn and rye, but
there are grazing fields for livestock, as well as mineral resources of
lead, zinc, and silver. Montenegro, the smallest of the former Yugoslav
republics, is largely forested. Its terrain is rough and mountainous,
better suited for animal husbandry than for farming. Its coastal plain
along the Adriatic is narrow, dropping off to sheer cliffs in the north.

Belgrade is the capital of Serbia and is the largest city in the
country, with a population of 1.5 million. It takes its name, which
translates as "white fortress," from the large stone walls that enclose
the old part of the city. It is in the north of the country, on a cliff
overlooking the meeting of the Danube and Sava Rivers.